1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical communication systems and, more particularly, to an optical system which accommodates network traffic with high throughput and low latency.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recent research advances in optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) technology have fostered the development of networks that are orders of magnitude higher in transmission bandwidth than existing commercial networks. While such an increase in throughput is impressive on its own, a corresponding decrease in network latency must also be achieved in order to realize the Next Generation Internet (NGI) vision of providing the next generation of ultra high speed networks that can meet the requirements for supporting new applications, including national initiatives. Towards this end, current research efforts have focused on developing an ultra-low latency Internet Protocol (IP) over WDM optical packet switching technology that promises to deliver the two-fold goal of both high throughput with low latency. Such efforts, while promising, have yet to fully realize this two-fold goal.
There are a number of challenging requirements in realizing such IP/WDM networks. First, the NGI network must inter-operate with the existing Internet and avoid protocol conflicts. Second, the NGI network must provide not only ultra low-latency, but must take advantage of both packet-switched (that is, bursty) IP traffic and circuit-switched WDM networks. Third, it is advantageous if the NGI network requires no synchronization between signaling and data payload. Finally, a desired objective is that the NGI network accommodates data traffic of various protocols and formats so that it is possible to transmit and receive IP as well as non-IP signals without the need for complicated synchronization or format conversion.